How To Make a Monster Suit with Bill Bryan & Ted Haines — Stan Winston School of Character Arts Forums

How To Fabricate a Monster Suit - Part 1

Chris Ellerby — Tue, 23 May 2017 21:03:24 +0000

HOW TO FABRICATE A MONSTER SUIT PART 1 - DESIGN, PATTERN, & PROTOTYPE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ocay6k11qz4

Learn how to make foam fabricated monster suits & creature costumes with Hollywood's most sought-after FX fabricators, Bill Bryan (Ghostbusters, Army of Darkness, Men in Black) & Ted Haines (Blade 2, The Muppets, Cowboys & Aliens).

In part 1 of this gargantuan 5-part webcourse series, Bryan, Haines & their student teams begin the process of bringing two Kaiju monster suits to life, including design review, head patterning and carving, tips on creating teeth, nails and horns, and suit prototyping techniques!

WEBCOURSE HIGHLIGHTS

Monster Design Review
Patterning & Blocking Out Primary Forms
Fabricating Horns, Mandibles, Nails, Spikes, & Teeth
Carving Muscle Forms
Assembling a Torso Wireframe
Foam Texturing Techniques
Basic Mechanical Tail Design

VIEW THE LESSON HERE

Sourcing equivalent products in the UK - advice, verification, best prices etc

Richard Shaw — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 10:58:05 +0000

Hi all, it would be great if anyone could post information about materials etc that could be sourced in the UK.

For example, according to this video from Xrobots:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvtF9Xfcr_A

L200 foam is the same as LD45 plastazote, which he buys here:

http://www.thamesvalleysupplies.co.uk/rubber-item.php?key=261

It would be really helpful if we could build up a catalogue of UK counterparts for any materials mentioned, as well as the cheapest sources for them.

Thanks,
Richard.

Low Budget Fabrication

Tyler Kraft — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 19:44:21 +0000

I am planning on producing a micro budget feature here sometime soon, and I wanted to possibly do a full size suit for the creature in the film. It would be a Bigfoot style creature on a limited budget. How much did it cost some of you to create a finished suit and do you think it could be done a low budget? Would it be better to go for a miniature and use forced perspective?

Thanks guys and gals!

Simple creature suits

Ghoulie — Sat, 27 Feb 2021 08:17:03 +0000

I see the final costumes for the course are pretty huge and elaborate. But I was wondering if after watching this course would I be able to make something like these

Just like a basic human shaped monster.

Creature Suit - How to release a mannequin prior to foam build up

Ben Gojer — Sat, 16 Jan 2021 23:14:09 +0000

Hello all,

I am following Ted Haines' technique of putting a spandex suit on a mannequin and building musculature in upholstery foam. I notice he uses spray adhesive to bond the foam to the spandex suit, while the suit is on the mannequin. I wonder if the adhesive seeps through the spandex and bonds to the mannequin and then the finished suit is really hard to get off the mannequin? Has anybody had problems with this? I think I will add a couple coats of Ease Release 200 to the mannequin and let it dry before putting the spandex suit on to try to avoid this. Other thoughts are appreciated!

Thank you!

Where to buy Materials

Peter Bond — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 19:21:27 +0000

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone can reccommend a good place to get L200? Thought this would be a good category for other materials as well.

How To Fabricate a Monster Suit - Part 5

Chris Ellerby — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 21:59:11 +0000

HOW TO FABRICATE A MONSTER SUIT PART 5 - KAIJU COSTUME FINISHING & ON-SET REHEARSAL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHXfNrs4QqY

In part 5 of this colossal Kaiju suit course, expert FX fabricators Bill Bryan, Ted Haines guide their student teams through the final steps in the monster-making process. Covering a broad range of finishing techniques, Bryan & Haines share their approaches to bringing it all together, including how to "skin" your creature costumes, creating custom air bladders, adjusting internal mechanisms, monster suit painting tips, and finally, on-set blocking.

WEBCOURSE HIGHLIGHTS

Adjusting Mechanisms & Supports
Creating Kaiju Skin
Fabricating Latex Air Bladders
Making Monster Eyes
How to Paint a Monster Suit
Constructing "View Ports"
On-Set Blocking Test

VIEW THE LESSON HERE

How To Fabricate a Monster Suit - Part 4

Chris Ellerby — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 21:56:19 +0000

HOW TO FABRICATE A MONSTER SUIT PART 4 - COMPLETING MECHANISMS & ASSEMBLING COMPONENTS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL_J8ZHX4ys

The Kaiju are back! In part 4 of this whopping webcourse series, master creature effects fabricators Bill Bryan, Ted Haines & their student teams approach the finish line as they complete and assemble their monster suit components. Follow along to pick up a vast variety of valuable techniques for attaching monster arms and heads, mechanizing jaws & mandibles, and even how to make "nurnies" and use razor blades to create organic texture.

WEBCOURSE HIGHLIGHTS

Finishing Jaw & Mandible Mechanisms
Attaching the Monster Head to the Frame
Adding Arm Supports
Installing Foot Pads
Razor Blade Texturizing Tips
Making Nurnies
Kaiju Test Fitting

VIEW THE LESSON HERE

How To Fabricate a Monster Suit - Part 3

Chris Ellerby — Tue, 23 May 2017 21:07:23 +0000

HOW TO FABRICATE A MONSTER SUIT PART 3 - MECHANISMS & SECONDARY FORMS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sMcC-Sdlvg

Monster suit class is back in session! In part 3 of this Godzilla-sized webcourse series, master creature effects fabricators Bill Bryan, Ted Haines & their student teams continue the Kaiju-making process. Calling upon their combined half-century of character costume building experience, Bryan & Haines share affordable DIY techniques for mechanizing, finalizing suit silhouettes, and how to use plastic bags to create inflatable sacs and organic skin texture.

WEBCOURSE HIGHLIGHTS

Attaching Arms & Mandible Mechanisms
Mechanizing Heads, Mandibles, Flippers & Tails
How to Skin a Creature Foot
Wireframes & Adding Muscles
Finalizing Forms & Overall Silhouette
Making MORE Monster Teeth
Plastic Bag Technology - Air Sacs & Organic Textures
Kaiju Suit Test Fitting

VIEW THE LESSON HERE

How To Fabricate a Monster Suit - Part 2

Chris Ellerby — Tue, 23 May 2017 21:05:40 +0000

HOW TO FABRICATE A MONSTER SUIT PART 2 - DETAILING, TEXTURING & MECHANISMS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPGNLpPimWo

The "Kaiju" saga continues! Learn how to build foam creature costumes with two of Hollywood's masters of monster fabrication, Bill Bryan (Ghostbusters, Army of Darkness, Men in Black) & Ted Haines (Blade 2, The Muppets, Cowboys & Aliens).

In part 2 of this epic 5-part webcourse series, Bryan, Haines & their student teams continue the monster-making process, including muscle patterning, carving details, skin texturizing, and mechanism prototyping.

WEBCOURSE HIGHLIGHTS

Techniques for Texturing Skin
Building Claw, Hand & Tail Mechanisms
Creating Eye, Claw, & Muscle Patterns
Carving & Fitting Upper Arms
Swapping Out Zippers for Durability
Adding Detail to Horns & Tails

VIEW THE LESSON HERE

Images from Monster Suit Build

Paul Dipastina — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 05:02:24 +0000

Hey guys! I actually had this suit built mostly before the web course, so it's currently undergoing modifications based on what I learned! But I thought I would share since I talked about it a lot during the course but haven't had time to take pictures until very recently.

Others should, of course, feel free to share their pictures in this thread, I'd love to see what other people accomplished.

Also, tldr: check out the pictures.

Concept:

The "Spiderbear" / Gleamjaw Matriarch was built by my brother and I for a Boston Steampunk LARP. The design goals were:

We wanted it to be a two person suit so it could have four legs and two arms and be about the size of a sedan
It had to be taller than a person
The jaw had to be able to open and close
It had to be "LARP-safe", meaning all contact surfaces had to be:
- Built with a PVC core
- Padded with camp pad foam and open cell foam
It also had to be able to move fast, and the operators had to be able to see where they were going without a camera (since we didn't have time to figure how to wire one up)
We wanted the teeth to illuminate with color changing LED lights.
It ALSO needed to have a back pack built into the frame to house the battery we were using to charge the lights
The head needed to have a really good range of motion so we could control where it was looking
It needed to be able to be transported in a Ford Fiesta. Of course it's quite a good deal larger than my ford fiesta, so we built it to break down into pieces and go back together quickly.
I'm sure some of you will notice the similarities between this monster and the one from Attack The Block. I don't want to be remotely subtle about the fact that the Gorilla Wolf Mother****ers were our primary inspiration. We liked how they used black fur suits to make a terrifying monster cheaply and I studied those suits a LOT before I even heard of the Stan Winston School. We decided to keep close to their designs for the Matriarch and then branch out as we develop suits for the males, the drones and the adolescents / hatchlings.

Pictures are below!

Production:

It took us the better part of a month to build the suit with two people.

Challenges included:

Availability of lightweight materials for the frame
The jaw mechanism
The neck mechanism
The arms
The illuminated teeth

In The Field:

We brought the monster to two events.

At the first event we realized that the weight of the frame was a problem when we had to run through a 4H camp late at night without attracting attention while wearing the suit in order to get it to the barn where we'd set up its nest. It was extremely fun but exhausting. Thanks to the monster's natural night camouflage and some well timed distractions, we made it to the barn unseen.

The second problem we noticed at the first event was the arms: They were made of PVC with foam padding and this made it very difficult for the operator to control because of the weight. Also the PVC was far too flexible, which caused the control sticks to bend and bounce a bit too much. Eventually the weight of the arms caused one of them to detach from the frame and the operator in the front had to simultaneously control the head with his pelvis while opening and closing the jaw with one hand and swinging the right arm with the other.

We fixed the flexing problem by adding a carbon fiber tube to the inside of the arms, but obviously that didn't solve the problem of the weight, which is in progress. We're looking to build a new control mechanism and replace the PVC arms with pure foam, no solid core.

Additionally it was difficult for the operator to see through the scrim we built into the monster's hump right at eye level. I kept pushing for a camera but it wasn't in the budget.

The second event saw the neck mechanism start to wear out. I'll have to try and show pictures at some point or make a video, but it was a clever idea that was more clever than it was practical in the end. It relied on a few pieces of flexible PVC that weakened, causing the rings we built the neck out of to come apart during operation.

Furthermore, though we fixed many of the problems with arm detachment, we actually had some PVC break during the fight due to the weight of the arms, which is why we are currently redesigning. We also want to try to get closer to 1:1 movement for the operator's arms and the monster's, but we're worried about what that will do to the weight of the suit and how it will complicate the forward operator's controls.

Also the teeth began to fail in the second event. We'd wired a set of color changing LEDs to a 12v battery that the primary operator carries around in a backpack. The strand of lights was run around the jaw and crammed through the gums and into the foam teeth (which are built from white foam). The effect is pretty cool! Check it out in the pictures! The problem is that the connectors were not soldered together, we just used those little twist on plastic caps to connect the wires from the power source to the battery, and every once in a while they would come undone and the lights would flicker or go out or change color. If the exposed wires touched (which only happened once) then they would spark, and that was a bit of a hazard.

Finally we realized that the operator in the back can actually stick their head out of the suit for better situational awareness and nobody will notice cause it's dark! But we're considering installing a backup camera for a car in the monster and wiring it up to the battery to provide a video feed for the opeartor, especially if we can get one with decent night vision.

The monster was also used for halloween but without the arms because they were broken! We actually draped the fur over a cardboard box and put some pillows on it and nobody could tell the difference.

We're going to be reviewing our monster designs for the Matriarch this winter and re-building parts of it for the spring. We may even put up a video!

How much does it cost to build a monster suit?

Richard Shaw — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 11:35:37 +0000

Hi, it would be great if you could estimate how much it costs (material-wise) to build suits like these. Obviously this can vary based on design and other factors, but a ballpark figure and a rough minimum cost would be really helpful.

In case this has already been answered, I'm currently catching up on day 3 as I'm unable to watch live!

Thanks,
Richard.

Week Three Homework Gallery and Class Recordings

Christopher Vaughan — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 06:29:03 +0000

In this discussion: Please upload the images (4-6) of your work on your monster suit by Midnight (12AM PDT) Thursday, September 20th, (Latest Friday Morning). So Ted has time to asses your work and prepare as helpful a critique as possible.

End of the Class Forum

Christopher Vaughan — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 21:26:50 +0000

Hey guys/gals Just wanted to follow up with a quick post, first love you Guys! you are awesome but we must end this class specific forum and I would like to know which posts you would like to move to the Alumni forum, which you still have complete access to, and will forever.

Chris

Student Hangout

Christopher Vaughan — Sat, 14 Sep 2013 22:38:08 +0000

Hey Guys here is a link to a student Hangout on Google plus, It is always on you guys feel free to schedule time amongst yourselves to hangout. https://plus.google.com/u/1/events/cn8qv6qk234e8o0g63vfvvhdvr0

Final Homework for Critique

Christopher Vaughan — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 14:51:32 +0000

Please post 3-4 pictures of your final project for review. All work MUST be posted by Saturday OCT, 5th at 12:00 am PDT to be assigned a grade for the class. Thanks!

Questions For Ted

Tom Stewart — Sun, 08 Sep 2013 20:18:01 +0000

This is a Thread where you can ask Ted questions concerning your build.

Extension on Due Date (please Read)

Christopher Vaughan — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 02:10:32 +0000

we've heard that the deadlines have been challenging on this course and so we've decided to extend the project completion deadline for an additional two weeks to give people a chance to catch up. The course forum will remain open during that time so everyone has continued access to all the wisdom/information that's been shared up until this point. Ted will be able to only give limited feedback as the course will officially be over. We will however wait until the 5th to ask for the final suits for the course grades.

Thanks

Chris

Tools of the Trade

Tom Stewart — Sun, 08 Sep 2013 15:06:32 +0000

I thought of starting a Thread where we can post tools that helped or are helping us along this Monster Build journey.

Week Two Homework Gallery and Class Recordings

Christopher Vaughan — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 21:34:19 +0000

In this discussion: Please upload the images (4-6) of your work on your monster suit by Midnight (12AM PDT) Thursday, September 12th, (Latest Friday Morning). So Ted has time to asses your work and prepare as helpful a critique as possible.

Google docs?

Gretchen Smith — Sat, 14 Sep 2013 22:19:39 +0000

Being totally computer illiterate, we were supposedly going to have a post-class chat via google docs? How do I go about accessing that? The class forum closed before I could ask!

Student Image Gallery - Share your personal artwork with everyone!

Christopher Vaughan — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 22:52:51 +0000

Like the title says; Please feel free to upload any images of your personal artwork here! Be them Sketches, Illustrations, Sculptures, Digital Paintings, or Digital Sculptures/3D Models, etc. Share and Inspire!

Post Your Initial concepts Here

Christopher Vaughan — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 00:22:08 +0000

If you have them, post your initial concept work here and we can share them during class on Sat.

Really looking forward to meeting all of you!

Chris

Week One Assignment Image Gallery/Weekly Recordings

Christopher Vaughan — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 22:51:19 +0000

In this discussion: Please upload the images (4-6) of your work on your monster suit by Midnight (12AM PDT) Thursday, September 6th, (Latest Friday Morning). So Ted has time to asses your work and prepare as helpful a critique as possible.